DC Cuts Ties with Diamond

[The no face guy]

Define current vs back issues - like I said, there's a six month or so delay before comics get added. So it currently goes up to late 2019 books. There's a 7-day free trial anyway, then it's $10+tax a month or $69+tax a year,

https://www.marvel.com/comics/unlimited

I was hoping for the latest issues coming out in June...I guess that would be too much to ask from the industry though.

I am currently reading, Daredevil, Dr. Strange, Ghostrider, Wolverine and Thor. I wish there was just a way to pay an ongoing monthly flat fee to my credit card, that allowed me to access a certain amount of digital titles. I'd pay a reasonable fee to DC and Marvel and I'd be permanently hooked by the convenience.

[Vampire Savior]

Ultimately, I think this is all great news. It's pretty clear comics aren't going to get anywhere in the Direct Market. My honest opinion is that has had its day, and is holding on longer than it should, only because no one in real power takes the comics industry seriously. Brick and mortar specialty shops are going to be less and less appealing to people with the internet. Even Gamestop seriously struggles, and it's selling video games; things a lot of people actually want to buy. Last time I walked in a Gamestop, I asked the woman behind the counter if they had any Nintendo Entertainment System games (in my experience, the store used to hold large supplies of used retro games). I was hoping for the off chance I'd find Mega Man 5 at a somewhat reasonable price. She didn't know what a Nintendo Entertainment System was. She thought I was asking about some modern Nintendo system. And that's the last time I will step inside a Gamestop. Why do that when I can go online and find Mega Man 5 right away on eBay? I was hoping I'd find it in the wild for cheap, but what are the chances I'd just stumble on it?

Heck, I'm even getting junk mail these days telling me to order my groceries online (which I haven't tried, though I admit I'm intrigued).

If I'm being totally transparent, I have no real interest in Marvel or DC's success, but at the same time, I'd like to see new opportunities for the hobby and medium in general. I would like to see more people interested in comics. I think that's good for everyone, and I've seen what the Direct Market has to offer, and there's nothing particularly appealing to me about it, and I don't see any resurgence of it on the horizon.

So, if the DM doesn't last much longer, I'm fine with that.
If Diamond doesn't last much longer, I'm fine with that.
If DC's new distribution doesn't work out and the company falls on its face, I'm fine with that.
If DC has great success in its endeavors, I'm fine with that.

I guess whatever happens, one way or the other, I feel it will be for the better, even if all parties involve blow themselves up.

[Digifiend]

I know what you mean, GAME, which is basically Gamestop's UK counterpart, used to carry a decent supply of retro games. Nowadays, they don't carry anywhere near as much retro, and it's probably going to be PS2/Gamecube/original Xbox or newer. Wouldn't surprise me if some younger staff didn't even know what a Sega console looks like. CeX is the go-to place for retro nowadays (they also do a nice range of cheap pre-owned DVDs).

Online grocery shopping isn't ideal. I've heard plenty of stories about bad product substitution. Say, ordering a Christmas turkey and getting chicken drumsticks instead, or ordering beef and getting beef flavoured crisps (potato chips, like Lays make, but they're branded Walkers in the UK) instead. And there are worse examples.

[Dthirds3]

Did they give a reason?

Alot of comic stores are stuck in the 80%, and doing this because taking a extre few minutes to fill out DC seperat form is work. And that's it their going to match Dimonds pricing and discounts but get them their books faster. Their lazy. They dont want to any work on their end to help make sales so their throwing temper tantrum. Honestly if half of them go out of business that's fine by me

As for why DC did this, dimonds is a **** show that did irreversible harm to the comic market saw dimond forced marvel to cancel the printing of server comics so they could restart easier said screw you and your insane ranting will do without you

[Vampire Savior]

I know what you mean, GAME, which is basically Gamestop's UK counterpart, used to carry a decent supply of retro games. Nowadays, they don't carry anywhere near as much retro, and it's probably going to be PS2/Gamecube/original Xbox or newer. Wouldn't surprise me if some younger staff didn't even know what a Sega console looks like. CeX is the go-to place for retro nowadays (they also do a nice range of cheap pre-owned DVDs).

Online grocery shopping isn't ideal. I've heard plenty of stories about bad product substitution. Say, ordering a Christmas turkey and getting chicken drumsticks instead, or ordering beef and getting beef flavoured crisps (potato chips, like Lays make, but they're branded Walkers in the UK) instead. And there are worse examples.

The crazy thing is that the woman was well older than me. She looked to be in her 40s. If she was younger I wouldn't have been as surprised. But what really got me is that Gamestop, at least that one, wasn't selling retro games from the 80s and 90s anymore.

Thanks for the heads up on the online grocery shopping. My intuition didn't trust it, which is why I haven't tried it. But I am open to the idea if it worked optimally and is reliable.

[AJpyro]

I think if You want the retro stuff you gotta go to the Exchange. Ive seen a SNES system and some cartridges last time i was there.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I think this has been a long time coming. The current model of producing heavily serialized 22 page comics for an ever dwindling audience was just not something that was sustainable in the long run. DC is going to look like the bad guys for finally pulling the trigger on this, but I can't blame them for doing what's best for their longterm future rather than what's best for comics shops and Diamond.

Like it or not, the future of comics is less continuity-driven comics aimed mostly at kids. The Scholastic comics sell way better than either DC or Marvel's stuff has for years now. They had to pull that bandaid off and go where the money is. Focusing most of your companies resources towards pleasing a market of middle aged hobbyists is not the way forward.

I have no doubt that they'll still be stuff for the continuity-obsessed hardcore DCU fans, but that audience will no longer be dictating the direction of DC's publishing plans. And, frankly, that's probably what should be happening, even if it's going to lead to the end of the current comics market as we now know it.

[wleakr]

There is no money in a Gamestop selling retro games. And there is no prerequisite that a customer service agent to be all knowing in all types of gaming systems. Expecting an NES at Gamestop? You may as well asked about Atari 2600 while you're at it!

[Crazy Diamond]

The crazy thing is that the woman was well older than me. She looked to be in her 40s. If she was younger I wouldn't have been as surprised. But what really got me is that Gamestop, at least that one, wasn't selling retro games from the 80s and 90s anymore.

Thanks for the heads up on the online grocery shopping. My intuition didn't trust it, which is why I haven't tried it. But I am open to the idea if it worked optimally and is reliable.

It's more likely that the woman just got this job to pay the bills especially with the recession going on right now. Even if you're 30+ if you weren't playing video games like that in the 80s and 90s you may not recognize some of the older systems. Gamestop's terrible business practices and abuse of employees drove away those who knew and played video games so that's why you end up with staff who don't give a damn. It's only a matter of time before Gamestop disappears off the face of the Earth.

As far as DC's decision, let's see where it goes. I'm wonder if 10 years or later the US comic market will be more like that of France and Belgium where most comics are sold as albums and collections rather than single floppies.

[superduperman]

I'm not a video game person but I guess I'm lucky in the sense that where I live, the midwest United States, the store I get my comics at now is a chain franchise that also sells video games, movies, CDs, action figures, etc. Not only do they sell old video games, they sell old video game systems. You could get whatever you wanted going all the way back to Atari. In fact, their website doesn't even mention comics it's such a small part of their business. And their trade selection is mostly used. Unlike the local shop I used to go to that would get all the new stuff but only specialized in comics and action figures.

What is the average age of a floppy buyer? 30s? 40s? We're not young. And you have a comics company owned by a telecommunications giant that has no real interest in print. Whatever DC does, it's highly questionable how much of it is their decision in the grand scheme of things. Once you hit your thirties, the world no longer caters to you. And not without good reason.

[Robanker]

I'm not a video game person but I guess I'm lucky in the sense that where I live, the midwest United States, the store I get my comics at now is a chain franchise that also sells video games, movies, CDs, action figures, etc. Not only do they sell old video games, they sell old video game systems. You could get whatever you wanted going all the way back to Atari. In fact, their website doesn't even mention comics it's such a small part of their business. And their trade selection is mostly used. Unlike the local shop I used to go to that would get all the new stuff but only specialized in comics and action figures.

What is the average age of a floppy buyer? 30s? 40s? We're not young. And you have a comics company owned by a telecommunications giant that has no real interest in print. Whatever DC does, it's highly questionable how much of it is their decision in the grand scheme of things. Once you hit your thirties, the world no longer caters to you. And not without good reason.

While I do have more money at 30 than I did in my twenties, comics are the only thing I'll still impulse buy, so I can understand why companies don't target my generation as much since I already know that I want and don't.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

The big question here is how overseas stores are going to cope with this. Here in South Africa, comics retailers have already taken a major battering from a weakened economy and a very weak South African rand - and that was before COVID-19. To put it in perspective, when I started reading comics in 1992, your average DC book would cost about R4 on the direct market (and about half of that on newsstands) and before the pandemic, it cost, on average, R80 (roughly $5.50)! Even just the past decade has seen an increase from R35 or so to R80, which is in part due to comics going from $3 to $4 or $5 but also some messy real-world issues driving the Rand further and further down. It has reached a point where aside for back issue hunting and the odd special, I've now moved entirely to trades and usually from online bookstores rather than comic shops as they are significantly cheaper. Now, though, if I understand correctly, having to pay for a second distributor will likely double or triple the price of comics, which means that South African retailers will end up having to charge the equivalent $10 to $15 for a single DC comic. I have no earthly idea how they could survive that or how even the most gun-ho collectors can keep at it.

In terms of the US, I certainly understand the appeal of breaking down Diamond's monopoly but international stores have clearly been completely overlooked. Either way, I do feel that this is probably the beginning of the end for monthly periodicals in general. I'm listening to a discussion on the Wordballoon podcast with Rich Johnston and a number of retailers and along with Rich's unique insights into how this would affect British stores (much the same as here, basically), one thing that has been hit upon quite a bit during the discussion is that the higher ups at DC do apparently want to move as far away from selling periodicals to the direct market as possible, seeing a mixture of digital issues and printed graphic novels as the future.

I love, love, love comic book stores but both US and, most especially, overseas stores are going to have their work cut out for them in the upcoming months and years in a way that has eclipsed all the doomsday predictions of the past. Comics, including the publishing sides of DC and Marvel, are very far from dead but I can't imagine that in 5, let alone 10 years, the entire industry won't look radically different from how it does now.

[iron chimp]

The big question here is how overseas stores are going to cope with this. Here in South Africa, comics retailers have already taken a major battering from a weakened economy and a very weak South African rand - and that was before COVID-19. To put it in perspective, when I started reading comics in 1992, your average DC book would cost about R4 on the direct market (and about half of that on newsstands) and before the pandemic, it cost, on average, R80 (roughly $5.50)! Even just the past decade has seen an increase from R35 or so to R80, which is in part due to comics going from $3 to $4 or $5 but also some messy real-world issues driving the Rand further and further down. It has reached a point where aside for back issue hunting and the odd special, I've now moved entirely to trades and usually from online bookstores rather than comic shops as they are significantly cheaper. Now, though, if I understand correctly, having to pay for a second distributor will likely double or triple the price of comics, which means that South African retailers will end up having to charge the equivalent $10 to $15 for a single DC comic. I have no earthly idea how they could survive that or how even the most gun-ho collectors can keep at it.

In terms of the US, I certainly understand the appeal of breaking down Diamond's monopoly but international stores have clearly been completely overlooked. Either way, I do feel that this is probably the beginning of the end for monthly periodicals in general. I'm listening to a discussion on the Wordballoon podcast with Rich Johnston and a number of retailers and along with Rich's unique insights into how this would affect British stores (much the same as here, basically), one thing that has been hit upon quite a bit during the discussion is that the higher ups at DC do apparently want to move as far away from selling periodicals to the direct market as possible, seeing a mixture of digital issues and printed graphic novels as the future.

I love, love, love comic book stores but both US and, most especially, overseas stores are going to have their work cut out for them in the upcoming months and years in a way that has eclipsed all the doomsday predictions of the past. Comics, including the publishing sides of DC and Marvel, are very far from dead but I can't imagine that in 5, let alone 10 years, the entire industry won't look radically different from how it does now.

Well there you go - the 'monopoly' is over and now theres the consequences.

[Gotham citizen]

The big question here is how overseas stores are going to cope with this. Here in South Africa, comics retailers have already taken a major battering from a weakened economy and a very weak South African rand - and that was before COVID-19. To put it in perspective, when I started reading comics in 1992, your average DC book would cost about R4 on the direct market (and about half of that on newsstands) and before the pandemic, it cost, on average, R80 (roughly $5.50)! Even just the past decade has seen an increase from R35 or so to R80, which is in part due to comics going from $3 to $4 or $5 but also some messy real-world issues driving the Rand further and further down. It has reached a point where aside for back issue hunting and the odd special, I've now moved entirely to trades and usually from online bookstores rather than comic shops as they are significantly cheaper. Now, though, if I understand correctly, having to pay for a second distributor will likely double or triple the price of comics, which means that South African retailers will end up having to charge the equivalent $10 to $15 for a single DC comic. I have no earthly idea how they could survive that or how even the most gun-ho collectors can keep at it.

In terms of the US, I certainly understand the appeal of breaking down Diamond's monopoly but international stores have clearly been completely overlooked. Either way, I do feel that this is probably the beginning of the end for monthly periodicals in general. I'm listening to a discussion on the Wordballoon podcast with Rich Johnston and a number of retailers and along with Rich's unique insights into how this would affect British stores (much the same as here, basically), one thing that has been hit upon quite a bit during the discussion is that the higher ups at DC do apparently want to move as far away from selling periodicals to the direct market as possible, seeing a mixture of digital issues and printed graphic novels as the future.

I love, love, love comic book stores but both US and, most especially, overseas stores are going to have their work cut out for them in the upcoming months and years in a way that has eclipsed all the doomsday predictions of the past. Comics, including the publishing sides of DC and Marvel, are very far from dead but I can't imagine that in 5, let alone 10 years, the entire industry won't look radically different from how it does now.

It depend by the nation: for example here in Italy the sales of the U.S. comics were always been poor because we don't love the U.S. format (the stories are too short), so our publisher collect a certain number of titles in a single book (for example our Batman edition contains also Detective Comics and Grayson/Nightwing), but this make difficult follow the various events, because they can involve a title that isn't published here, moreover we don't love to await months to see how a story ends (in fact all the Italian comic books are 100 long and each book contain a self contained story) and we don't love neither the continuous changes of status quo (like it happens with the X-men) ,so if the DC would stop the sales of the monthly ongoing titles, to focus itself on graphic novels or miniseries, it could improve the sales in Italy, because they can be collected in a single book.

[Digifiend]

Just realised another consequence of this. DC won't be part of Free Comic Book Day now (it's run by Diamond), so the Generation Zero one-shot has effectively been cancelled.